What books are the riders reading between stages? Here’s a little inspiration to add to your TBR.
Photo credit: Oskar Scarsbrook of Human Powered Health
Oskar Skarsbrook, Cor Vos
Days at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift are long. The riders normally stay in hotels near each stage start, so in the mornings they get to sleep in a bit, have a coffee, eat some breakfast … It’s all quite relaxed. Of course, as the start time approaches, things pick up pace. As a rule, riders arrive at the start over one and a half hours before sign-on. That way, they have time to check equipment, get dressed, have any pre-race meetings, and warm up.
The five-ish hours from hotel departure to hotel arrival, at a new hotel, are the only time in the day when time moves faster than the speed of light (well, unless you’re climbing Mont Ventoux in the grupetto). Before and after, riders prioritise remaining horizontal or eating. Recovery is key, and what better way to recover than with a good book?
When you picture a day in the life of a professional cyclist at the Tour de France Femmes, you might think they don’t have time to read. In reality, some riders find that a book can take their mind off the race and allow them a moment of mental calmness, especially as the race heats up. Ever wonder what the riders are bringing to decompress after a long day in the saddle?
Niamh Fisher-Black – The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
This historical fiction novel, written by Irish author John Boyne, spans seven years of protagonist Cyril Avery’s life in Ireland during a time of social change and homophobia. The book was published in 2017 and was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards and nominated for quite a few 0ther awards in 2018.
Amanda Spratt – Almost Life by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (but she brought a second as she’s almost done: The Bureau of Unknown Fates by Gaëlle Nohant)
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